What Color Diamond Looks Best With Yellow Gold?
Whether you’re designing a piece of jewelry from scratch or looking for the perfect ring, it’s important that all the elements match up. The biggest thing that can affect a cohesive look is clashing between the colors of the metal and the gems. Silver or white gold metals are easy to match, but what if you’ve decided on a yellow gold base? Read on to find the diamond colors that will make your ring look perfect.
What To Consider When Choosing Your Diamond Color For A Yellow Gold Ring
Color Grades
To understand the difference between the different colors of diamonds, we first have to understand how those colors are determined. White diamonds, which are the clear color most of us think of when we think of diamonds, come in ten color grades ranging from D to M. But what do these grades mean?
Diamonds are technically graded based on lack of color. The highest ratings, D, E, and F, refer to “colorless” diamonds which have no discernable yellow or brown tinting to them. At the other end of the scale are “faint” diamonds, which have noticeable yellow or brown tints and are graded K, L, or M. The middle ranges of G, H, I, and J are “near-colorless” and tend to appear more clear than faint diamonds at first glance while still having some tint to them.
Colorless
Truly colorless diamonds are hard to come by, and as such, they’re far more expensive than less pristine options. This can make buying complicated for people on a budget, but there’s good news: when it comes to yellow gold settings, there’s no need to splurge on a colorless diamond. When a white diamond is placed in a yellow gold setting, the metal reflects through the diamond, giving it the same slight yellow tint that you’re avoiding when buying a colorless diamond in the first place.
If you do want to show off a pristine colorless diamond, use white gold prongs to secure it to your yellow gold ring. This way, the metal color that bleeds through will enhance the colorless rather than diminish it.
Near-Colorless
Because of the color bleed from the metal, a near-colorless diamond can be an ideal choice for a yellow-gold setting. The amount of tint generated by the metal balances well with the tint within a near-colorless diamond, causing it to look almost identical to a colorless diamond in the same setting. Anyone who sees your near-colorless diamond ring likely won’t be able to tell the difference between your gem and a pricier, fully colorless one.
Faint
If you’d prefer a diamond that matches the metal rather than being emphasized by it, then a faint diamond is perfect. When paired with a white or silver setting, the color of a faint diamond is noticeably more yellow, but in a yellow-gold setting, the tint only serves to tie the gem better to its setting. For the diamond buyer on a budget, a faint diamond in a yellow gold setting is a beautiful choice that is cohesive and inexpensive compared to a colorless or even near colorless diamond.
One word of warning, though: if your ring has accent stones, make sure to match the color grade of the main stone as closely as possible. While a faint diamond won’t be very noticeable standing alone, if it’s surrounded by colorless accent diamonds, the yellow tint will be much more obvious.
Settings
As stated above, the accent stones in your ring can negatively affect the impact of a faint diamond’s tint. This matters the most in halo rings and rings with side stones that are right beside the center stone, as the difference in color is quite obvious. However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule: if there’s some space between the center stone and the accents, the color difference won’t have nearly as much of an impact.
Prongs
When buying a yellow gold ring, you may assume the prongs that hold the gems in place are going to be the same color. However, lots of yellow gold rings use white gold for the prongs, which will emphasize the tint in a faint diamond. Make sure to double-check the color of the prongs before deciding what color of diamond to get.
Cuts
There are a variety of different shapes your centerpiece diamond can come in, and these shapes can also affect how obvious the tint of a faint diamond is. Round diamonds are the most popular cut, and for good reason: this cut disguises color better than any other option. If you’d prefer a more complex shape for your diamond, the princess, emerald, and asscher cuts also do a fantastic job at hiding some of that yellow tint.
What Color Do You Think Looks Best With Yellow Gold?
When buying a diamond, the most important thing is your personal preference. No one knows your perfect diamond color but you, and it’s important to be able to see the diamond with your own eyes before you buy. At J. Vincent, you can search for diamonds based on their color grade, shape, or many more descriptors to find the perfect diamond for you.